Canada’s Federal Green Party

In preparation of a coming election the Green Party of Canada will be announcing a new star candidate to take the reins of leadership. Elizabeth May, long time activist and former executive director to the Sierra Club of Canada has announced her intention to run for Green Party leader.

Having been privy to her first campaign event, I have to say the she posesses all the criteria of a great leader. Her humour and obvious in-depth knowledge of many Canadian issues make her ideal to push the Green Party beyond the psychological barrier of a one-trick enviropony. Additionally, May’s media savy and long history of environmental activism, will prove to add much needed intellectual policy dicussions come the next election.

Paraphrasing her words, May believes she will have great sucess in elevating the parties status because her platform in content, not poll driven (she plans to sponsor policy think tank meetings to develop the party’s platform) and well….she’s a woman….. who would be participating in a debate that usually doesnt see a lot of women.

Breakthrough for Carbon Nanotube Computers

Researchers at IBM have made a significant step forward in the development of carbon nanotube computers.

The researchers devised a method to arrange nanotube-based transistors, a neccessary step in the production of integrated circuits which are based on the new technology.

Carbon nanotube computers will be able to run at much greater speeds, consume less power, and produce less wasted heat than the computer circuits in production today.

Taxes Don’t Need to be Taxing

Taxes stink, right?

Not according to a new Finnish organization: the Happy Taxpayers’ Association. The purpose of the organization is to help taxpayers to focus on all the good that their dollars are doing, rather than the obvious negatives. This doesn’t mean that they’re blithe about it; in an interview on CBC Radio, the founder stated that the group strives to be “happy and critical, rather than happy and stupid.”

Remember, taxes pay for things like roads, health care, public art, and my salary. Do you like these things? I think you do.

China to Build a New Earth

The Beijing-based International Society for Digital Earth has been founded to compile data from all sorts of digital earth models in order to make the most realistic computer simulation of the planet as possible.

Research will focus on climate change and other global issues. The project will help us analyze a lot of data about this planet we live on and hopefully find some solutions to environmental problems. What’s more “the society is expected to recruit members from developing countries, particularly Africa and Latin America, to raise their awareness of the opportunities the project offers.”

Africa Freedom Day

Today, May 25th, is Africa Freedom day!

One World Africa has nice article written about the Africa Freedom day. Since Africa Freedom day started good progress as been made on the continent, the article looks at both the good and the bad developments in the last 40 years. Let’s hope that the spirit that Africa Freedom day represents is never forgotten.

“Africa Freedom day which falls on 25th May, is a day in which as Africans we observe the creation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and pay tribute to the Heads of State, who through a common vision of unity, decided to seek a joint African solution to the dichotomy facing Africa in the 1960s.

Forty-one years ago, leaders of the African Continent decided to establish the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Driven by a common aspiration towards de-colonisation, liberation, equality, justice and progress, an inter-African organisation of independent states was founded. “